A city man who accidentally shot part of his face off with a high-powered hunting rifle was in stable condition at a Boston hospital Thursday night, according to his father.
According to police, Dale Poulin, 31, of Ash Street, was visiting friends at 218 College Ave. around 9 p.m. Wednesday and exchanging hunting stories when he went outside and brought in a .270-caliber hunting rifle. At one point, Poulin put the barrel of the rifle under his chin and pulled the trigger, said Waterville Police Chief Joseph Massey.
Poulin’s father said that although his son is unable to speak, he can respond to questions by writing on a notepad and told his father Thursday that he had accidentally dropped the rifle. Dale Poulin had been hunting during the day Wednesday before the accident later that night, his father said.
“He is in stable condition and his vital signs are good, although he will need reconstructive surgery for his facial wounds,” Donald Poulin, of Winslow, said by phone from Massachusetts General Hospital.
Note: Last year, 17,362 people nationwide unintentionally injured themselves with a firearm, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Unintentional nonfatal gunshots was 0.1 percent of the more than 29.4 million injuries reported, according to the CDC report.
The most common injury was an unintentional fall, which accounted for about 30 percent of the injuries.
